Bangladesh Nationalist Party acting chairman Tarique Rahman on Thursday said that women should be vigilant so that extremism could not rise in the country.
鈥楾he next election is very important for every citizen of the country. Women should be very vigilant and alert so that fascism and extremism cannot rise in the country in any way, and I urge all mothers and sisters of Bangladesh to be vigilant and alert,鈥� he said while virtually addressing a discussion.
Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal organised the discussion titled 鈥榃omen鈥檚 contribution to the anti-fascist movement鈥� at Bangladesh Medical University auditorium in Dhaka, marking the anniversary of the July-August mass uprising.
Mohila Dal president Afroza Abbas delivered welcome speech at the beginning of the discussion. A documentary on the contribution of women to the anti-fascist movement was screened at the event and later, the organizing committee presented medals of honour to the members of the martyrs鈥� families.
Addressing the democracy-loving people of the country, Tarique Rahman called on everyone to stand united to honour the sacrifices of the martyrs by establishing a just, democratic, safe Bangladesh for all, regardless of religion or caste, for all.
鈥榃e strongly expect the active participation and support of our mothers and sisters in the ongoing journey of establishing a safe, democratic, humane Bangladesh for all in the future as well,鈥� he said.
Tarique Rahman said that if BNP came to power, family cards would be issued in the names of female persons.
鈥楾he number of families is about four crore in Bangladesh. We will introduce family cards to at least 5 million marginalized families. We will issue this family card in the name of the female person of the family,鈥� he said.
The BNP acting chairman hoped such initiatives will lead to economic empowerment of women in the family and society on the one hand and on the other hand, opportunities will also be created for families to gradually become self-reliant.
Stating that his mother also lost a child in the 15-years movement against Awami fascist government, the acting chairman of BNP said that many mothers had lost their beloved children during the anti-fascist movement for more than a decade and a half.
He said that the role of women in the future would be very important in building Bangladesh as desired by the July martyrs.
Citing the various steps taken by former president Ziaur Rahman and former prime minister and BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia for the development of women, Tarique said that BNP believed that it was not possible to build a safe Bangladesh by keeping half of the country鈥檚 population-women outside the mainstream of the state and politics.
鈥楴o country, not just Bangladesh, can move forward by leaving women power out of the action plan, and that is why BNP has arranged or is adopting all the action plans prioritizing women strength and ensuring the safety of women, keeping their hopes and aspirations in mind鈥�, he said.
Mentioning the priority given to education and employment for women in this era of globalisation, he said that in all countries of the world, the doors of all possibilities, including education, employment and business, were open for women.
BNP chairperson鈥檚 advisory council member Afroza Khan Rita chaired the event, which was moderated by Mohila Dal general secretary Sultana Ahmed and joint general secretary Helen Jerin Khan.
BNP standing committee members Abdul Moyeen Khan and Selima Rahman, JSD vice-president Tania Rob, BNP chairperson鈥檚 advisory council members Professor Tajmeri SA Islam, Tahsina Rushdir Luna, self-reliance affairs secretary Shirin Sultana, Jahangirnagar University鈥檚 Bangla department Professor Shamima Sultana, Shaheed Sajedul Islam Sumon鈥檚 sister Sanjida Islam Tuli, and popular social media talk show host Hasina Akhtar were present.
